Why Horseback Riders Are Brave People

Magnificent creatures.

I know, you love horses. They're such splendid creatures.

All perfectly true. But there is another truth about horses, too.

Horses are extremely dangerous at times.

That's just a fact. We're not trying to say horses are terrible. They can just be dangerous.

Horses get spooked easily. It doesn't matter if you are on one, or it is just standing there idly watching the day go by. Some horses are worse in this regard than others. But, any horse can be spooked.

Suddenly, something will happen and - whoosh! - off it goes.

Going over fences on horses is particularly dangerous if they're not specially trained and controlled. Even then, it's dangerous. Just like those scenes in "Gone With the Wind" (there were two fatal horse accidents, remember?), which were very realistic. Horse accidents were almost common back in the day.

Imagine being on this horse when it suddenly decided to take off. Over the fence it goes - and whammo. You're still there. Well, you're there, under the horse now.

And horses are heavy. Your body has no chance if one falls on you.

Christopher Reeves.

Life is full of risks. That's why insurance companies have so much money.

2019